Conservatism

by Jacob G. HornbergerAugust 1, 2001
In his article “The Libertarian Lobe,” Jonah Goldberg expressed glee that he had trapped a young libertarian woman with what he calls his “tried-and-true trick question”:
“I asked her something to the effect of: ‘Imagine a very close friend of yours were suicidal. She just broke up ... [click for more]

by Sheldon RichmanJuly 1, 2001
We’ve been had. By a Bush. Again.
The tax cut is a joke. After all the blather about how the surplus belongs to us, not the government, the resulting tax-cut bill is minuscule, ultra-gradual, and now scheduled to expire in 10 years! Republican and Democrat members of Congress, ... [click for more]

by Sheldon RichmanJune 1, 2001
One of the great myths of the Industrial Age is that businessmen generally like free markets. That myth has deep implications and consequences.
For example, someone who buys into it will tend to believe that proposals to deregulate markets are simply favors for special interests and inimical to the interests ... [click for more]

by Sheldon RichmanMay 1, 2001
The Republicans still don’t get it. They say they want a tax cut because “the surplus is the people’s money,” but their heart isn’t in it. If they truly believed that, they wouldn’t quickly add that we need a tax cut to avert a recession. They supported the tax cut before ... [click for more]

by Jacob G. HornbergerApril 1, 2001
As a compassionate conservative, President Bush wants to give federal aid to faith-based organizations. His plan has drawn attacks from religious leaders on the right and civil libertarians on the left.
Religious leaders object to Bush’s plan on the ground that it will lead to governmental interference with religious ... [click for more]

by Jacob G. HornbergerMarch 1, 2001
DURING THE CONTROVERSY over Linda Chavezs appointment as secretary of labor, President Bush squandered an excellent opportunity to show some compassionate conservatism toward the tens of thousands of undocumented workers who have risked their lives to live and work in the United States.
In the 1960s, I grew up on a farm on the Rio Grande outside of Laredo, Texas, ... [click for more]

by Sheldon RichmanMarch 1, 2001
Are conservatives so desperate to have a Republican in the White House that they are ready to toss their principles overboard and become boosters for whatever President George W. Bush hands them?
It seems so. Mr. Bush’s two earliest initiatives — education and aid to faith-based organizations — should have ... [click for more]

by Jacob G. HornbergerFebruary 1, 2001
THE POMP AND ceremony surrounding George W. Bush’s nomination of new department heads is now complete. The discussion and debate now center on the qualifications of each of the new nominees. But who is asking the crucial question: Rather than appointing the best-qualified people to run the various departments, why not simply abolish the departments themselves?
After all, wasn’t this ... [click for more]

by Jacob G. HornbergerJanuary 1, 2001
The pomp and ceremony surrounding George W. Bush’s nomination of new department heads is now complete. The discussion and debate now center around the qualifications of each of the new nominees. But who is asking the crucial question: Rather than appointing the best-qualified people to run the various ... [click for more]

by Sheldon RichmanAugust 1, 2000
Must the Republicans' abandon every semblance of principle in order to save us from a Gore presidency? In the minds of the GOP leaders, the answer seems to be yes. Apparently, a decision has been made that victory is so essential that the party will say anything to avoid offending anyone. ... [click for more]

by Jacob G. HornbergerApril 1, 2000
The race for the Republican presidential nomination reflected the extent to which conservatives have abandoned their own principles. The two leading Republican contenders, George W. Bush and John McCain, waged a fierce fight over who is the true conservative and the real government reformer.
But what does conservatism have to ... [click for more]

by Jacob G. HornbergerNovember 1, 1999
Dear Conservatives:
There you go again! You're once again trying to use public schooling to require students to submit to religious indoctrination. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.
Can't you simply leave well enough alone? After all, look at all the damage you have already done to students with public schooling ... [click for more]

Reading List

Prepared by Richard M. Ebeling

Austrian economics is a distinctive approach to the discipline of economics that analyzes market forces without ever losing sight of the logic of individual human action. Two of the major Austrian economists in the 20th century have been Friedrich A. Hayek, who won the Nobel Prize in Economics, and Ludwig von Mises. Posted below is an Austrian Economics reading list prepared by Richard M. Ebeling, economics professor at Northwood University in Midland and former president of the Foundation for Economic Education and vice president of academic affairs at FFF.